By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer
Jose Lerma fits the mold of a player whose work ethic has earned him the opportunity to continue his passion.
The Los Fresnos defensive back signed to play football at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa, where he will likely play strong safety or linebacker.
He will pursue a degree in criminal justice.
The school competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and is a member of the Heart of America Athletic Conference.
“A couple weeks ago I really started to think about it, and I decided that it was the school for me,” Lerma said. “It means a lot (to play in college),because it’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. I’ve been working all my life.”
Still a member of the junior varsity team as recently as his junior year, Lerma worked his way into a starting role on the varsity squad. His effort has since paid dividends.
“A lot of kids that start as a junior on JV quit because they think they’re entitled to be somewhere,” Los Fresnos coach Clint Finley said, “but I never heard one peep, I never heard one complaint. (Lerma) put his nose down and went to work. And next thing you know, he’s my starting (strong side linebacker) on varsity.”
The senior was a member of a Falcons team that reached the regional quarterfinal this season after winning a co-district championship in 32-6A.
“When I think of Jose Lerma, I think of consistency and hard work ethic,” Finley said. “He fits the picture of what we ask for in a Los Fresnos Falcon.
“He started off doing a great job for us. You never had to worry about his effort. He gave it everything he had. Attitude and effort, those are the two things we ask for at Los Fresnos.”
While at Graceland, Lerma realizes it will take the same level of hard work and dedication to make the squad his first year, but based on what recruiter and assistant linebackers coach Isaac Martinez has seen, he likes his chances to make an impact.
“When I first got the call about Jose, they said ‘He’s a kid that has ‘it”. He just knows how to get the job done,” said Martinez, a Los Fresnos alumnus. “No matter what it is, he may not be the biggest, the strongest or the fastest, but he just finds a way to get it done, and that’s something I came to appreciate.”
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.